Shoe



Feb 1, 1944. H. s. LYNESS 2,340,603

SHOE

Filed Feb. 17, 1943 Patented Feb. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT 2340503snon Horatio vS. Lyness, .Lynn, Mass, assignor ,to

United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. .La' corporationofNeyv Jersey Application February 17, 1943,-Serial;No. 476,144

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of footwear and moreparticularly to improvements in the manufacture of moccasin-type shoes.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the construction ofunlined moccasin-type shoes by strengthening the ball portion of suchshoes and providing maximum comfort to the wearer while at the same timemaking the ball portion sufliciently flexible so that the shoe may belasted with a minimum of difficulty. This is accomplished, in accordancewith a feature of the invention, by attaching a moccasin plug to a vampwhich extends over the ball portion of the foot of the wearer below theplug, thus eliminating the seam normally exposed to the foot in shoes ofthis type as well as eliminating the danger of the shoe coming apartfrom breaking of the stitching which may occur from constant flexing ofthe shoe. To make it possible to last such a shoe properly with aminimum of difficulty, that portion of the vamp underlying the plug issuitably perforated to render the ball portion flexible without undulyweakening it, thus retaining the advantages of the two-ply constructionat the plug. These and other features of the invention will now bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing andpointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with a portion broken away, of a vamp and plugassembly constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the toe portion of a shoe embodying theimproved vamp and plug assembly.

It has been the parctice in the manufacture of unlined shoes having amoccasin-style toe to stitch a moccasin plug to a vamp, assemble thevamp with the other parts of the upper and then last the shoe in theusual manner. The vamp is cut away below the plug, which is stitched tothe vamp with a lap joint for ease in manufacture. This constructionprovides flexibility of the ball portion of the shoe desired in shoes ofthis type, but is subject to certain disadvantages. While it iscustomary to skive the vamp around the opening below the plug, the jointformed between the vamp and plug contacts the foot of the wearer andoften causes discomfort to the wearer. Furthermore, constant flexing ofthe shoe during wear is apt to cause breakage of the stitching betweenthe plug and vamp so that the shoe, the ball portion of which is heldtogether by the plug, may fall apart. To overcome these disadvantages,some manufacturers do not cut the vamp away below the plug therebyeliminating the foot-contacting seam between the plug and the vamp. Thetwo-ply construction thus provided imparts the requisite strength to theball portion of the shoe. However, in the making of unlined shoes ratherheavy upper leather is employed and the two plies of leather stitchedtogether at the mocasin plug provide a very stiff construction which isextremely diificult to last properly. The puller has to exert so muchtension on the shoe that a very large percentage of uppers is brokenduring the lasting operation and the flexibility desired in an unlinedmoccasintype shoe is not present. Consequently, the advantages of thistwo-ply construction over the first construction described areconsiderably offset by these disadvantages.

The advantages of the above methods of making unlined shoes having amoccasin-style toe without the attendant disadvantages are obtained bythe following construction. A vamp 4, having the usual toe portion 6 andside portions 8, is formed with an integral mid-portion 10 connectingthe side portions in the area between the toe portion and the forwardend of the throat opening l2. The portion In is provided with a largenumber of perforations M which are preferably circular in shape,although other shapes may be employed if desired. A moccasin plug I6 issecured by a row of stitching I8 to the vamp 4 so as entirely to coverthe portion l0 thereof, the perforations I4 being thus obscured in thecompleted shoe.

The employment of a vamp having an integral mid-portion II) foroverlying the ball of the foot substantially strengthens the shoe andinsures that no seam ridge will be formed to cause discomfort to thefoot where the plug and the vamp are secured together. The perforationsI4 in the integral portion J0 of the vamp provide desired flexibility atthe fo-repart of the shoe such as would not be present in a two-plyconstruction in which no perforations were provided. It has been foundthat the perforations l4 cause no discomfort whatever to the wearer andthat, because of their circular formation, they permit stretching of themid-portion of the vamp, in which the perforations occur, in alldirections. Consequently, the dimculty commonly found in two-ply vampand plug constructions in lasting the upper down to the wood because ofthe stiffness of the vamp is entirely eliminated so that less tensionneed be exerted when the upper is pulled over and fewer vamp breakagesoccur during this operation. Accordingly,

vamp having a portion extending completelyacross the ball portion of theshoe and a moccasin plug secured to said vamp, that portion of the vampunderlying the plug being perforated to impart flexibility to the ballportion of the shoe.

2. An unlined moccasin-type shoe, including a. vamp having a portionextending completely across the ball portion of the shoe, that portionof the vamp underlying the plug being provided with a plurality ofcircular performations to impart flexibility to the ball portion of theshoe and to facilitate the lasting operation.

3. An unlined moccasin-type shoe, including a vamp and a moccasin plugstitched to the vamp, said vamp having a foraminous portion underlyingthe plug. j I j 4. An unlined moccasin-type shoe, including a vamp and amoccasin plug secured at its edges to the vamp, said vamp having amid-portion extending beneath said plug from one side of the vamp to theother and said mid-portion having a multiplicity of perforations thereinto impart flexibility to the vamp.

HORATIO S. LYNES S.

